Newsies is a 1992 musical starring Christian Bale,David Moscow,Bill Pullman and Aaron Lohr and is based on true events about newsboys who are trying to make a difference. Music from Alan Menken was great and the story was good.

Keep an eye out for Deborah Lee Furness(Hugh Jackman's missus) as Eleanor Jacobs.

This is a musical based on the New York City newsboy strike of 1899. When young newspaper sellers stood up to their ruthless, exploitative bosses. Disney produced this tough precursor to television musicals in which young people burst into songs largely related to their own angst. The young men who perform in this musical are nothing short of astonishing. This is a musical in the truest sense; the songs tell the story. Ann-Margret, often underappreciated as an actress, shines in the small role of Medda Larkson. You will look into the faces of these self-described "bunch of street rats" and wonder how such performances are made to happen--and wonder even more about the real boys who inspired them. Although this show never produced any "hit tunes" of note, "The World Will Know" and "Seize the Day" stand out as the best scenes in the film. Watch carefully and you'll catch young Christian Bale in the cast. ---from Musicals on the Silver Screen, American Library Association, 2013

Although Newsies did not bring back the musical film into wide favor, it certainly was a noble effort. In a way, it's director Kenny Ortega did accomplish it in another way. He's the creative genius behind Disney Productions incredible money making franchise, the High School Musical films which as I write another one is in the planning stage.

You can certainly see no small resemblance in this production to either of the two High School Musical films. Leads Christian Bale and David Moscow do a great job as the two newspaper kids who lead a strike against all the 'Papes' as Joseph Pulitzer of the World tries to gouge the Newsies to increase his profits.

Christian Bale is an absolute wonder to me. A kid born in Wales speaking like a native New Yorker back then and he'd still pass for one today. No surprise he's had the career he's had.

Ann-Margret in case we all forgot is a great musical performer who plays an entertainer and friend of the Newsies. She gets a nice number just to remind us.

Robert Duvall has a once in a lifetime part as the press lord Joseph Pulitzer. Back at the turn of the last century with no internet, no radio, no television those papers ruled. When I was a lad in New York there were still seven daily papers in the city. Back in Pulitzer's day there were about 20 all competing with each other and nothing else. Pulitzer is not a man who got where he was by exercising scruples and he's not about to give in to a gang of ragamuffin kids.

The songs by Alan Menken fit well into the story though none of them became any kind of hit. And the atmosphere of 1900 New York City is captured well in the sets and costumes.

1900 was a time my grandparents were children and I think they might have appreciated Newsies as good entertainment with a nice moral to it.

What's the moral? The Newsies united will never be defeated.